After three years of intense work towards the reduction of water consumption in CSP plants, the international MinWaterCSP consortium presented final project results at its 2nd International Conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
At this occasion, the full-scale test facility dedicated to the testing of a novel axial flow fan and the functional testing of a deluge cooling water cycle was inaugurated. Over 75 CSP stakeholders from six countries representing amongst others owners of power plants / power utilities, technology suppliers, research and NGOs participated in the event to discover the MinWaterCSP solutions already tested at the project’s demonstration sites in Spain, Morocco and South Africa.
The purpose of the two-day conference hosted by MinWaterCSP project partner Stellenbosch University was to introduce the South African industry and the wider international community to the project and the possible advantages that its results hold for the Concentrated Solar Power industry.
The event offered different perspectives on the topic of reduced water consumption in CSP plants, also reflecting the view of the end user. CSP experts from SASTELA, the CSP operator ACWA Power and the cooling system operator Eskom presented their expectations, while MinWaterCSP partners from research and industry presented their successful MinWaterCSP technology solutions. In addition, Horizon 2020 CSP project Raiselife contributed to the conference programme with their expertise in the monitoring of soiling and associated cleaning strategies.
Topics covered by the conference ranged from water management at solar power stations, the reduction of water consumption during cleaning at solar power plants and innovative, low water consumption cooling technologies for solar plants.
As one of the conference highlights, the new cooling system test facility was opened by the Vice-Dean Research of the Engineering Faculty at Stellenbosch University, Prof. Willie Perold. During the site visit to the test facility, which is the first of its kind, two main aspects of a novel cooling system, developed and tested within MinWaterCSP, were presented: A 24 ft diameter axial flow fan and a deluge cooling water circulation system.
Picture1: Conference delegates at the opening of the new cooling test facility at Stellenbosch University (© Kelvion TS and ENEXIO Germany GmbH)
Picture2: Prof. Willie Perold (right), Vice-Dean Research of the Engineering Faculty at Stellenbosch University, inaugurating the new cooling system test facility (© SUN, Kelvion TS and ENEXIO Germany GmbH)
The conference programme was also accompanied by an exhibition where stakeholders from industry and research institutions presented their projects, products and services.
The MinWaterCSP project activities will come to an end by December 2018. The final results will be presented on the project website and in diverse publications.
More information on the conference:
Author: Kathrin Eckerlin, Steinbeis 2i GmbH, Germany
About Steinbeis 2i GmbH
Steinbeis 2i is committed to working in the areas of innovation and internationalisation, building on over 25-years of experience of Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum. The core activities of the Steinbeis 2i are to assist organisations to participate in European R&D projects, to support the management of international research projects, to give assistance in the exploitation of research results, to promote transnational technology transfer and to stimulate and support the innovation process in industrial companies and to provide professional training.
In MinWaterCSP, Steinbeis 2i is coordinating the communication and dissemination activities and is linking MinWaterCSP partners with the other LCE projects.
Further, S2i performs the administrative and financial project management and coordinates the exploitation activities linked to commercial project results.
About Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is well known for its expertise in the research and analysis of large cooling systems (both wet- and dry-cooled). It already has extensive laboratory facilities available and the new full scale test facility will help to expand these capabilities. The facility designed by MinWaterCSP partner ENEXIO has been inaugurated at the occasion of MinWaterCSP’s 2nd International Conference on 8th November 2018.
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